Vincent Kompany’s fractious relationship with his Manchester City manager
Roberto Mancini will be tested by summer interest from the elite of the
Champions League.

Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are all on alert following the public club-versus-country row between Mancini and his captain.

The trio, all in the last eight of the Champions League, are long-term admirers of the Belgian, rated among the best central defenders in the world, and they are prepared to explore whether Kompany’s recent fallout with Mancini has any long-term consequences.

Mancini criticised the 26-year-old after he disobeyed an instruction to pull out of his country’s World Cup qualifier with Macedonia. He had not played for Manchester City for two months before last weekend because of a calf injury.

Belgian media have suggested Kompany was frustrated not only that he had been criticised publicly by the Italian, but also at the treatment he was receiving on the manager’s advice to cure the injury that kept him out for two months.

The Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad claimed Kompany was far happier working with national team physiotherapist Lieven Maesschalck, who he had asked to visit him in Manchester earlier in the season, and who was credited with overseeing his latest return to action.

It was also pointed out that the last time Kompany was involved in a similar club-versus-country dispute was when he was at Hamburg in 2008. That was over his involvement in the Beijing Olympic Games when his club demanded he return to Germany after the first two games. A month later he joined City.

That would appear an extreme reaction to the latest controversy, but it is the latest in a series of incidents presenting a portrait of Mancini as regularly falling out with his senior players. More and more, they appear to be willing to defy his orders.

Kompany is the most respected to date to have incurred Mancini’s ire. If the manager hoped the quarrel would blow over after he accused the player of putting the interests of Belgium above Manchester City, it may not be so straightforward.

Barcelona are particularly interested in Kompany, having first coveted him during Pep Guardiola’s period in charge. They are known to be desperate to recruit a top-class central defender this summer.

Guardiola’s move to Bayern Munich will also ensure the German champions-elect are observing developments at the Etihad closely.

Kompany is not a character who will shirk a confrontation, particularly on a matter of principle, and he made it clear he wanted to aid his country’s World Cup effort.

He responded to his manager’s comments when he posted a picture of his football boots on his Twitter page, declaring himself available for City’s weekend win over Newcastle.

City would be in a strong enough position to resist any interest in their captain even if they received world record bids for a defender.

He has become an iconic player since joining the club, his absence through injury contributing to a lacklustre title defence. If there was any suggestion of enduring strain between the captain and his manager due to the events of last week, many would argue it would have much more significance for Mancini than Kompany.

The idea of Kompany leaving, no matter how big the offer, would be unpalatable for a club who will be look to re-equip themselves over the summer to launch a fresh assault on the title.

The controversy started when Mancini asked Kompany to return to Manchester rather than play for his country.

“Sometimes players should understand that the club is more important,” Mancini said. “I am not saying the national team is not important, and I would never tell my players not to go to play for their country. But there are some cases when the club is more important, and all players should understand this.

“I expected that he wouldn’t play, and that he would be back after one or two days. Instead, he played for 90 minutes and now we don’t know his condition.”